AMERICAN DIVER DIES IN COMPETITION

AMERICAN MAN DIES TRYING 
TO SET FREEDIVING RECORD

http://msn.foxsports.com - An American free diver died Sunday after trying to complete a 72-meter dive at a sanctioned event in the Bahamas. Nicholas Mevoli was attempting to set an American record in the constant weight without fins category, which requires divers, who are not using oxygen, to dive straight down and resurface without the aid of fins. At the 68-meter mark, Mevoli stopped and appeared to turn back for the surface, only to dive down farther in an effort to reach his goal. Mevoli eventually did reach the surface, but that’s when things took a turn for the worse. 
After being treated at the scene after Sunday’s try, Mevoli was brought to Vid Simms Memorial Health Center, where he was pronounced dead at 1:44 p.m. local time, one hour and 19 minutes after he began his dive. Mevoli was 32.

Doctors at the hospital determined that he had pulmonary edema and had 800 cubic centimeters of fluid pulled from his lungs. Mevoli had previously set a different record in May, when he became the first American to dive to 100 meters unassisted, but with the use of a monofin. On last Friday, Mevoli failed to set an American record in free immersion diving and came to the surface with blood dripping from his mouth after abandoning his 96-meter attempt at 80 meters. The International Association for the Development of Apnea, the governing body for the event, said that Mevoli was the first athlete to die in an international competition in the sport’s 21-year history. 
There are no clear figures on how frequently deaths and injuries occur. “Some deaths go unreported ... but one estimate of worldwide freediving-related fatalities revealed a nearly threefold increase, from 21 deaths in 2005 to 60 in 2008,” Outside magazine reported.

Nicholas Mevoli, a 32-year-old from Brooklyn, trying to set a freediving record died last Sunday after he surfaced from a depth of more than 200 feet. He hoped to reach 236 feet (72 meters) with only one breath of oxygen and without the assistance of fins. In freediving, divers plunge to depths shunning breathing equipment such as oxygen tanks or other typical scuba-diving gear. As they descend, free divers can experience various negative health effects, including decreased heart rate and compressed lungs, however, the more dangerous problem is the buildup of carbon dioxide, which acidifies the blood. Now, we may ask why people wants to hold their breath for absurd lengths of time or perform other extreme activities? Thousands of enthusiasts might answer: “This is our overriding passion and it offers us an experience like nothing else.” This is very sad and unfortunate. Precious lives of young men and women are wasted in this crazy desire to practice risky sports. Our human life is very valuable, and it is not advisable to put our health in such threatening risks only to test the limits of physical endurance. We must live for higher purposes. If we can use this human life in a valuable way, we can acquire the key by which to become free from the whole chain of life in this troublesome world. (Editor's note).

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US? 

Good skiers can go down a mountain at the same speed of an automobile on a highway. Falling down a mountain at such a rapid pace is certainly exhilarating, but there is an inherent risk involved. Just one small slip up, one mistake, and you can be part of a serious accident. ... We have no control over the events of nature, but how do people react to these near-death experiences if they do occur? Do they give up skiing as a result? Do they give up snowboarding? On the contrary, people still take to these dangerous activities knowing full well the risks that are involved. ... Why does this happen? Why do we repeatedly perform activities that we know are bad for us? ... Harmful behavior can only be eradicated if we have a higher engagement. ... Devotional service is a full-time engagement which involves dovetailing all our activities for the benefit of the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna, or God.

Krishna'sMercy.org - Jai Shri Krishna :
“Dangerous Behavior” - Posted on July 17, 2010
http://www.krishnasmercy.org/dotnetnuke/
http://krishnasmercy.wordpress.com/2010/07/17/dangerous-behavior/

Published by dasavatara das - “Vedic Views on World News”
http://www.vedicviews-worldnews.blogspot.com.ar/